News Briefs | FYI
July 7, 2025
NCTQ: CA falls short in effectively teaching elem math
A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality finds that most states fall short when it comes to preparing and supporting elementary teachers to effectively teach math, despite the glaring need for bold state action to turn the tide of students’ low math scores nationwide.
According to NCTQ’s State of the States: Five Policy Levers to Improve Math Instruction report, Alabama is the only state that earns a ‘Strong’ rating for implementing a robust, comprehensive approach to improving math instruction across five core policy areas.
- Set specific, detailed math standards for teacher preparation programs.
- Review teacher preparation programs to ensure they provide robust math instruction.
- Adopt a strong elementary math licensure test, and require all elementary candidates to pass it.
- Require districts to select high-quality math curricula aligned to state standards.
- Provide professional learning and ongoing support for teachers aligned with high-quality math curricula.
Recent results from the National Assessment on Educational Progress show that 30 percent of California fourth graders cannot do math at a basic level.
California earned a “weak” rating in NCTQ’s assessment, meaning the state has a few policies in place across the five policy levers.
NCTQ evaluated 87 elementary prep programs in California to determine whether they dedicate enough time to key math content topics and pedagogy. The analysis shows California programs perform among the lowest in the country.
The report makes a number of recommendations for California, including encouraging elementary teacher preparation programs to prioritize math courses designed for educators over traditional higher-level math requirements.
Nothing at school affects student success more than a teacher, so adopting effective policies in each of these five areas and building teacher capacity can make a major difference for students.
“Empowering teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach math effectively is essential for improving life outcomes for all children,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “If we want students to succeed, we need to invest in better preparation and support for great math instruction.”
Read this report and specific information on California.
Visalia USD launches strategic plan, Forward 2030
At the end of the 2024-25 school year, Visalia Unified School District turned feedback from students, staff, and families into action, using it to launch pieces of action items to be implemented as part of the district’s first comprehensive strategic plan, Forward 2030: A Community-Driven Blueprint for the Future.
The journey toward this plan began during the 2023-24 school year, when Superintendent Kirk Shrum led a districtwide effort to listen and learn — gathering input through student advisory sessions, staff conversations, and community feedback sessions. During the 2024-25 school year, that input was reviewed, analyzed, and translated into the 65 action items of the plan. Each item includes clear deliverables in phases, key staff leads, a project management framework, and a reporting process to keep the work focused and transparent.
“We are intentional about how we proceed with this plan,” said Shrum. “Some of the actions we’re taking this summer and into the new school year come straight from the voices of our staff, students, and our community.”
To honor that voice, VUSD is prioritizing a set of changes for immediate implementation — responding directly to the feedback gathered that would make the most impact for students. The following are just a few of the district’s 65 action items of the strategic plan that will be implemented over the summer and into the start of the 2025-26 school year:
- A preschool-to-kindergarten summer transition and parent university program to help young learners and their families start their academic journey strong.
- A districtwide elementary writing curriculum to align expectations and improve student rigor and outcomes.
- A single communication platform to support parent awareness and involvement in their student’s academic progress.
These actions are part of a deliberate and aligned approach to long-term improvement — setting a strong foundation not only for the upcoming school year, but for the future of the district and community.
Learn more about Forward 2030 at vusd.org/forward2030.
New environmental lessons developed for K-12 teachers
The San Mateo County Office of Education and the environmental literacy nonprofit Ten Strands, in coordination with CDE, have announced the release of Seeds to Solutions, a set of free, open education resources for California educators, featuring age-appropriate environmental lessons for grades K–12.
Developed in response to teacher and community demand, each unit explores a California-specific environmental challenge and its solutions, aligning with state standards and environmental principles and concepts. Units are designed with developmentally appropriate topics for each grade level, focusing on student-led investigations and designing and exploring solutions.
Given many students’ personal experiences with environmental disasters, like wildfires and floods, teachers are provided with resources to effectively manage difficult emotions and conversations in the classroom.
Learn more by visiting the Seeds to Solutions web page at seedstosolutions.org.
Students celebrate Juneteenth
Oceanside Unified celebrated its second-ever Juneteenth event at Nichols Leadership Academy — a powerful, student-led tribute to freedom, culture, and community. The celebration featured a parade, a performance of the African American National Anthem, student speeches highlighting the importance of Juneteenth, and multicultural performances that reflected the rich diversity of the district.
FYI
Scholarships available for ACSA Academy participants
ACSA offers scholarship funding exclusively for participation in ACSA’s Academy program for members with financial need to attend job-specific academies. Eight $500 scholarships and one $1,000 scholarship (superintendents only) will be awarded to recipients selected by the Academy Scholarship Selection Committee. Eligible scholarship recipients are regular ACSA members who have a commitment to educational quality, student achievement and professional growth, and who can demonstrate a financial need. Applications must be submitted electronically by July 14. Visit www.acsa.org/academies for complete scholarship application information.
Retain your membership after layoff/reassignment
In case of a layoff or reassignment back to the classroom, ACSA members can retain their membership at a lower cost as an Associate member. This membership tier includes resume assistance, professional liability insurance coverage, discounts to ACSA professional development and access to job postings on ACSA’s Career Center. Please visit acsa.org/membership-categories for more information.
Library evaluation tool now open through Aug. 31
The CDE has created an online data collection evaluation tool to meet the Education Code Section 18122 requirement and develop an accurate picture of the condition of school libraries across the state. The annual online evaluation is now open to collect information from individual schools about their libraries through August 31. For more information, visit www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/schlsurvwelcompage.asp.